Mauricio Pochettino praises Fernando Llorente after scoring in Tottenham's win at Swansea
Wednesday 3 January 2018 06:45, UK
Mauricio Pochettino praised Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente for capitalising on his first Premier League start of the season with a goal in the 2-0 win at Swansea.
Llorente nodded in the opener in controversial circumstances after 12 minutes at the Liberty Stadium, with the Spaniard in an offside position when meeting Christian Eriksen's cross.
It was ultimately a happy return to an old stomping ground for Llorente, who netted his first league goal for Spurs against the side he left in the summer.
And while he only started because Harry Kane was suffering from a cold, Pochettino was delighted to see Llorente step up with a goalscoring contribution.
"I think it was difficult for the team and for him to play in these conditions," Pochettino told Sky Sports after the match.
"I am happy for him to help the team to achieve three points. When a new player arrives in a team where the dynamic is so clear always it is a struggle to find the possibility to play.
"He's very professional and I'm so happy that he helped us achieve what the team wanted."
Llorente was eventually brought off in the second half for Kane, who was deemed fit enough to play the final 25 minutes.
And while Kane ended 2017 with two hat-tricks, he opened it by turning provider when finding Dele Alli with a delightful ball for Tottenahm's second.
Pochettino said it proved to be a beneficial "training session" for Kane ahead of their meeting with West Ham on Thursday, which is live on Sky Sports Premier League.
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"I think we did well with him because we saw that it was difficult for him to run," Pochettino added.
"But I think it was a good training session to prepare for the next game and we hope that he is going well in the next 24 hours and he can be ready to play against West Ham.
"He's a very complete player. He doesn't only score goals. He can assist, he can play, he can build. He's a very complete striker."
